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A TikToker documented his recent trip to Waffle House in a now-viral video, sparking fierce debate in the comments section. The clip, which has been viewed nearly 650,000 times, claims to show a lone employee scrambling to prepare about 12 orders simultaneously.
It's not the first time that the restaurant chain has found itself at the center of a social media scandal: Just two months ago, a video, allegedly showing a Waffle House employee holding her baby while working, went viral. However, the incident was revealed to be a hoax, likely intended for financial gain.
Said Waffle House in a statement on the matter: "We have investigated the TikTok video and have determined that the media portrayals and social media posts are not accurate."
In his recent video, TikToker @rlozada25 begins by saying: "This lady deserves ALL the tips. She's cooking it all for 12 people by herself."
The footage shows an employee preparing orders next to a long line of empty plates.
"She's truly amazing," added @rlozada25 in the video's caption.
The brief clip has generated 72,600 likes and nearly 1,000 comments since it was posted late last week—and in the comments section, viewers are split on whether the situation posed a problem for the employee.
"This is a normal day at just about any Waffle House I've ever been in," noted @billreynolds56.
"That's not abnormal, from my experience," wrote @siaosicabral. "People just don't normally see what cooks have to deal with."
"She should have walked out. Running yourself into a breakdown from exhaustion is not worth your life," countered @candacesaysf***. "Unionize and protect yourself."
"I did that for 20 years and got tired of it," added @heavymetallover1, adding that it was "hard work" with "no pay [or] respect."
Following the comments section controversy, @rlozada25 uploaded two follow-up videos revealing further details about the situation—including that his party tipped her a total of about $100 between the three of them.
"The reason I made the video was to show my appreciation towards her," says the TikToker in his more recent post. "She was serving 12 people and there [were] still, like, 10 other people who didn't even get to order yet."
Despite people's complaints about the long wait times, the employee remained "kind and courteous," added the TikToker. "I just wanted to commend her for her hard work."
TikToker @rlozada25 declined to provide further comment on the incident. Newsweek has reached out to Waffle House for additional information.
